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Friday, 24 December 2010

A while I featured new Australian death metal band - The Fevered, who seemed to go down really well with people. So I've been doing some digging around and while I know there are probably loads of death metal bands in Australia that I'm yet to come across, I thought I'd mention Corpse Carving, as they from the other end of the death metal spectrum to The Fevered.

Corpse Craving are from Tasmania, and play gore grind with touches of death metal. The band are currently signed to Despise the Sun records.

The band currently have four releases: -
A split release with Italian band Mincer, which was released through Coagulated records called - "Hacked, split then quartered"

A split release with Philippino death metal band Human Mastication, which was released through Sonic-Corruption called - "Masticate The Corpse : Aftermath of Human Carving"

A three way split release with UK death metal bands Bludgeon and Twitch of the Death Nerve, which was released by Life Fluid Productions called - "And Then There Were 3"

Also, a full length released through Despise the Sun records, called - "Grotesque Goratorium : Disemboweled Gorific Feast"

P.S. If anyone reading this post is able to suggest any other extreme metal band from Australia that I should check out, please let me know. I'd love to hear from you about this subject or other stuff metal related. Cheers.

Wednesday, 22 December 2010

I want to hear from anyone who is reading my blog. I want to know what the metal/hardcore scene is like where you are, the gigs you go to and about any bands in your local scene you think people need to check out!

Get in touch with me by commenting below this post, by e-mailing me at stayaheadblog@yahoo.co.uk or by adding me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/stayaheadblog.

The band currently have a gig booked for July 24th at The Priory in Doncaster. Get down if you can!

Here is a short review of their debut EP:-

The opening track "Hellbound" comprises a 40 second breakdown, which is a clue to the rest of the EP's sound and will no doubt get people moving in a live setting.

Track 2 - "47" is the first song proper. It reminds me a bit of Devildriver to start with but takes on a direction of it's own with more melodic guitars. It's a good combination of metal and hardcore being fused together to get that aggressive, modern sound, including those good old twin guitar harmonies.

Track 3 - "Checkmate" is starts with more melodic guitar and a crunching breakdown, which later makes way for guttural screams and then dissonant guitar riffs. The band again use breakdowns to emphasise the aggression in the song.

Track 4 - "Blood Meridian" is a faster song to start, with a slightly more punky vibe in the rhythm section. The vocals are more hardcore in this song, that may remind people of No Turning Back. The song seems more angry and sinister and the lyrics back this up. They also make use of low, guttural death metal vocals and gang vocals inside the breakdown towards the end of the track and demonstrate a good time change in the closing bars to slow thing to a halt.

Track 5 - "Pallbearer" begins with the sound a rain and wind and acoustic guitar melodies to break up the relentless brutality so far and set a calmer mood before the final two tracks.

Track 6 - "Out for Justice" hits the ground running, with fast paced riffs. rhythm section and furious vocals. The band again are sticking to their brand of hardcore infused metal to bludgeon the listener. The song also includes some more thrashy parts.

Final track "Glass Hands" finishes the EP the way it started, with a pit friendly, brutal sound. The song invokes feelings of euphoria as well as visions of flailing limbs flying across the dance floor of any sweaty, small club gig and rounds of an excellent EP.

If you're into your mosh and like more modern metal, you could do a lot worse than listen to this lo!

Tuesday, 14 December 2010

I did a feature on this band a couple of weeks back, but at the same time, sent them some questions so you guys could get more of an insight into them. Riekus (Drums and Vocals) answered them for me. Enjoy!

What is the feeling like amongst bands when you play live in Holland? Is there afeeling of togetherness between the bands in your scene?There is definitely a sense of togetherness between bands around here, and i consider many of the people in bands here to be good friends. I guess like anywhere, people stand up for each other and try to help each other out: booking shows, visiting each others’ shows, even singing guest vocals on records. I’d say this is broader than just the scene in the Netherlands. On a European - or even global - scale there’s this sense of Doing It Together, andthat is one of the many things that keep this little punk movement interesting and inspiring. Being a punk band and being more melodic than some of your peers, what kind of receptions have you got when playing with some of the more aggressive bands?I’m not sure what it’s like in the UK these days, but here in the Netherlands there’s been quite an uprise of melodic punk bands lately. I guess that for the UK bands like The Living Daylights and Above Them are the flag-bearers of the more melodic genre. From time to time we will share the stage with louder, more aggressive bands but I think the overlap between us and - for example - hardcore bands is still large enough to not be ‘the odd one out’. I never really thought of us as a more melodic band than others,but rather see us as one of the many variations of punk and hardcore in general. I think we all share the same kind of audience though.You guys have toured the USA a few times. Have you found more difficult making an impact there than across Europe?With so many good bands coming from the USA, it’s pretty much impossible to really make a dent over there, but on the other hand: people in the States tend to be very appreciative of European bands coming over. A lot of people never met Europeans in real life before.That’s funny sometimes. We can tour Europe any time we like, whereas touring the States takes a lot more preparation and time in general. So i’d say it is indeed more difficult than Europe. However, having the experience of playing a packedshow at Gainesville Fest 7 and getting very positive commentson Punknews does put things in a positive perspective. So far, you've been really productive and toured relentlessly. What is it that drives you on as a band?Basically what keeps us going is the will to progress as a band, making that small step forward with every tour we do and every album we record.We never expected to be at the point where we are now when we set off, so we enjoy every last minute of it. To be honest, we’ve never felt that we are necessarily better than any other band out there, we just try hard and give it our very best. Besides that, exploring new places and people and meeting up with long-time friends in familiar areas sure keeps it interesting enough to keep going. The last song on our new album, “So Much More” is pretty much about this topic: howbeing in a band can ‘ruin’ your life to the extent that you are occupied by it on a daily basis, whereas some people prefer to see punkrock as a hobby. Bottom line: we’re trying to squeeze every last bit out of this band, and as long as that works we’ll keep playing and hopefully progressing.The Netherlands has a very fertile metal/punk scene. can you give any tips on up-coming bands that people should pay attention to?The scene here is indeed pretty vibrant with a lot of great ‘young’ bands around. Imust say that i’m not that much into metal myself, so no suggestions on that topic. For punkrock, make sure to check out The Real Danger (not so new, but still very cool! Descendents / Face to Face style), This Routine Is Hell (Paint it Black / Panic kinda style), Midnight Menace (powerpop /punk with female vocals - Heleen sings guest vocals on our last record), Ravens (The Get Up Kids meet Hot Water Music) Otis (loud / sludgy hardcore inspired by Refused), and SweetEmpire (powerpop / melodic punk). Oh, and if you find yourself wearing skintight jeans and long hair, and you’re desperatefor some 70’s Hard Rock / Metal check out Vanderbuyst!

Okay, so this band probably doesn't need introducing to those of you who have your ears to the ground, but I thought I would post a piece about them anyway, as they are pushing the UK scene forward.

The band are from Brighton and have so far released to records of progessive/hardcore noise. An EP called - High Charity and an album called - Ocular. Unveil. Brides are currently signed to Visible Noise here in the UK.

The band have just announced a January 2011 tour with The Perfect Crime and others. The flyer for the tour is below: -

I just wanted to let you know about a cool new Death metal band from Edinburgh. I got in touch with the band recently, and they sent me a short introduction about them, which I've posted below for you:-

"The band was formed in October 2007 by Hamish and myself, but it took us until early 2010 to secure a full lineup and start playing live. Since then, we've had the pleasure of supporting quality acts such as Diamanthian and Neuroma. In late November we went into the studio to record 4 songs for our debut EP, which is due early next year. We hope to bring something different to the Scottish DM scene, both musically and lyrically. The only gig we have confirmed at the moment is the 'Slaughterhaus' on the 18th on February in Glasgow (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=112228745510
467) but we hope to book a few more gigs soon."

The guys have posted some songs up on their Myspace profile, so you can check em out.

Monday, 6 December 2010

This next band are another band I've discovered during my look into the very fertile Dutch metal/hardcore scene.

Antillectual are a melodic punk/hardcore band from Nijmegen. The band have been around since 2005 and have released 2 EP's and 2 full lengths, as well as touring relentlessly around Europe and the US.

Their current release in called - Start from Scratch, which you can buy from the following link - http://www.antillectual.com/. The band are offering the album in various formats - including CD/LP and free/donation digital download.

The band are due to play in the UK in January. They are Playing in London on the 27th and Blackburn on the 29th. More shows can be found on the above link.

These guys are well worth checking out if you like melodic punk music and they are really refreshing in a time when more and more bands are choosing to go down the aggressive route.

Saturday, 4 December 2010

Screw Houston Start Screaming are hardcore band from Utrecht. They started in 2009 and shortly after the formed, they recorded a four track demo.

They have a hardcore/rock n roll sound that is kinda like Every Time I die and Comeback kid.

SHSS have been pretty regular members of the Dutch live scene and have played shows with loads of local bands, including Malfunction, who I featured on this blog a few weeks back. The band have shows organised for December and into January in Holland.

Human Demise are a hardcore band a discovered not so long ago. I chanced across a review of their most recent album, The Odditorium on Aversion online. To check that review out and the rest of the blog, go to - http://www.aversionline.com/blahg/2010/03/.

Anyway, Human Demise have been around since early 2004, and have been influenced by the mid-90s hardcore scene, witch is evidenced in their sound. They've shared stages with the likes of Sick of It All and and fellow countrymen No Turning Back.

They are currently working on a new record and have a gig booked for the 28th of December in Middelberg, Netherlands.

These guys are a bit of an institution in underground Dutch hardcore circles, and I think they need to be heard by more people from outside of the Netherlands.

Friday, 3 December 2010

The Darkest red are a death metal I have recently come across. They are from Wallwijk in the Netherlands. They play awesome, death metal with technical guitar and a slight touch of modern metal thrown in for good measure.

They have an album out called - Destroy and Rebuild, which has been released by CrossFireCult Records.

The band released their first demo in 2006, called - Time has come to embrace. In 2007 they released a single track demo called - The reaping. They then performed with many bands across Europe, including Belgian hardcore band - Arkangel and the UK's own - Bleed from Within.

The band have two songs available for free download on their last FM site - http://www.last.fm/music/The+Darkest+Red. Both songs are from their album - Destroy and Rebuild.

Thursday, 2 December 2010

This band got in touch we me as they wanted to let people know about their debut EP, which they've just recorded. The Ep is available for free or "sliding scale" download at this link - http://thefevered.bandcamp.com/.

The Fevered are a death metal band from Brisbane, Australia. I've recently listened to their EP, so have done a review that I've posted below.

Opening track, To Frailty starts off with what could be described as hardcore gang vocals over the top of buzzsaw riffs and speedy drumming. The song then moves into their take on Swedish melo-death, with vocals in the vein of Mikael Stanne from Dark Tranquility.

Second track, Sky Burial is a very black metal influenced song with dual screamed vocals. The song also includes bouncing riffs akin to Meshuggah.

Third song, Cascade Divide also employs Meshuggah style bouncing riffs. The song is again in the bands melo-death style and includes an awesome, but not ostentatious guitar solo.

Track four, Cycles has a slight change of sound. It includes more buzzsaw riffing and almost punkish, grindcore style drumming with blastbeats not being overused. The band introduces a kind of anguished screaming to the middle of the track and the change in time signatures in the song is done to aplomb.

Fifth track, Vestige again shows a variation on the bands theme. The band this time employs something that resembles a death metal style breakdown in the middle if the song with more of their brand of gang/dual vocals, alongside their Swe-death inspired racket.

The final track, Sever the world is the longest track on their EP, coming it an just over eight minutes. They build up with slow almost doomy riffs before breaking into, very thrashy riffs. They employ twin guitar melodies and later on the track, a very introspective passage with more, almost spoken word style screaming. They employ string effects towards the end of the track to add atmosphere as the track and EP comes to an end.

Overall the EP shows a band who are not afraid to vary their style and improve upon a style of music that is very popular with up-and coming bands. The EP's sound is good and all the parts are clear and distinguishable. These guys have a bright future and need exposure. Go to their myspace page - http://www.myspace.com/thefevered to find our more. They have an interesting blog up about their recording sessions for the Vestige EP.

Remember you can also download the EP from Bandcamp, for free by typing in $0.00 when after clicking on "Buy it now", or contribute a little to the bands cause by paying a small donation to download it.